a fairly three and 6 degrees. a fairly chilly start to 2017. some of us will see rain through the remainder of the night. this is bbc world news today. the headlines at 9pm: the world security council votes to end the violence in syria. new year celebrations around the world. there is heavy security and a lot of countries. the un security council has unanimously supported efforts to end

fighting in syria, following a ceasefire brokered by turkey and russia. the resolution also calls for the rapids uptick in humanitarian aid. the three syrian army has confirmed that russia has responded and stopped the bombardment. from the un, here is the un representative on why they supported the resolution. we have voted in favour of this resolution because it strikes the right balance, cautious optimism and support, predicated on hope but tempered by a realistic need to see how this arrangement is implemented, before casting the full weight of the security council behind it. we would highlight two key points. 0ur hope is that a ceasefire will truly hold and not serve as a justification for further unacceptable justification for further u na cce pta ble offences. justification for further unacceptable offences. in that

regard, we are concerned about reports of the receipt —— resume offensive supported by hezbollah militia. the security council ‘s adoption of this text should be seen asa adoption of this text should be seen as a strong signal that such activities must cease. so what impact could this have on the ceasefire on the ground? the ceasefire has already undergone so the ceasefire has already undergone so many ups and downs in its brief life. it is not yet 48 hours old and only a few hours ago a lot of people thought it would fall apart. does the un a change anything? not that much. what would change things is if the thames of the ceasefire holds, if this syrian regime stops attacking rebel positions, including those positions which are held by both parties inside and outside the ceasefire, if humanitarian aid search to get through, if there is

peace stocks that are supposed to happen ina peace stocks that are supposed to happen in a few weeks' time. it is very difficult to see a total ceasefire holding because this deal only dealt with the saudi regime and a select number of rebel groups, albeit ones that represented 60,000 fighters. read the bloody war of islamic state, or other more radical groups, it did not deal with the cards. so you have a partial ceasefire that almost fell apart, and the last few minutes, it is very difficult to see that this is a robust thing. for the moment, it kind of holds and the un has put its stamp of legitimacy on it. 0ur correspondent in beirut is lina sinjab. she has more on the deadline set by the free syrian army for russia to halt all attacks by syrian government forces. this was a good sign, it means that

russia has responded to the ultimatum and is keen for this ceasefire deal to succeed. that is why they have pressured the government and militias fighting with them from attacking. the area is in damascus, under bombardment for the last ten days, but we can say that air strikes intensified after the ceasefire was announced. the announcement of stopping the bombardment commons, came, at the time when security council had adopted a resolution and the agreement was brokered by a and turkey. now we can bring you live pictures from the russian capital moscow, the latest city to welcome in 2017.

let's take a moment to llok at these pictures and how russians are celebrating. but for european and north american cities are still waiting to mark the start of the new year. security has been increased. concrete barriers are blocking off central squares in paris, madrid and new york to prevent attacks like the recent ones in berlin and nice. in cities including london thousands of extra police are being deployed ahead of new year celebrations. helena lee reports. sydney, australia, one of the first cities to welcome in 2017. the harbour bridge the focus of their spectacular display. soon after, it was hong kong's turn and this was their party.

in london, they're preparing for tonight's celebrations. the met police says it is not had any specific intelligence to point to an attack, but they've looked at what happened in berlin and nice and adjusted their plans. there'll be more than 3,000 visible police officers present tonight. as in the past, there will be officers with firearms, but the key thing is to strike the balance, and none of us wants to disrupt the enjoyment all of us want to have on new year's eve. we can't allow the bad guys to spoil our way of life. in other european cities, including berlin, security has been stepped up. in her new year's eve address, the german chancellor angela merkel acknowledged the threat her country faces. translation: the biggest test, without a doubt, is islamist terrorism, which has had germany

in its sights for many years. in 2016 it attacked us in wurzburg, asbach and just a few days ago in the christmas market here in berlin. around the world, millions of people are getting ready to welcome in 2017 and stale. well let's get the view of our correspondents. jonathan blake is in central london for us and andrew black is in edinburgh. first to jonathan blake is in central london. jonathan, 100,000 people expected to attend celebrations where you are about are people nervous? well, they don't seem to be. the extra policing and extra security that you heard about in the report there which is in central london tonight is reassuring to most people, i think, tonight is reassuring to most people, ithink, who tonight is reassuring to most

people, i think, who have turned out to see the fireworks, but it is also a reminder of the security threat that this event and events around the world face tonight. the operation as a huge feat. there are 3000 stewards on duty tonight, in addition to the 3000 or so metropolitan police officers, some of them aren't, who are on duty around the city. most of the central london area was closed off after around two o'clock this afternoon. after several hours, there has been no traffic through the city at all. that is just one part of this operation. 100,000 people will be packing out the ease of viewing areas between miller and midnight. whining about 20 people along the embankment. they are here to see what promises to be another spectacular display. london is now established as one of the best in the world. we will get 12 minutes of fireworks after big ben chimes at midnight, all carefully choreographed and synchronise to be specially chosen soundtrack, which

will audible pjb to some of the artists who have died in 2016. bdg is warming up the crowd just now with some george michael. there will be 15,000 individual exposures. the london eye will be the centrepiece of the display and there are three barges along the river warded with 30 tonnes of equipment, all needed to be —— on the need to put on what promises to be a spectacular show. it kicks off as big ben chimes midnight in three hours' time. but go to edinburgh and andrew black is there for us. what is the security situation like where you are? much like everywhere else, in reality, every hogmanay parity error and the uk has had to review its security arrangements in light of recent events in berlin. what police scotla nd recent events in berlin. what police scotland have told us this evening is that they very much want to have a proportionate response. edgar is a

very important balance to be struck between keeping people safe and that is what everyone wants to do. —— and keeping —— and make sure people have a good time. that is what everyone wa nts to a good time. that is what everyone wants to do. when it comes to the edinburgh street party in particular, police have been doing this for many years. thus the 24th one this year and police are used to dealing with arrangements here and, as is the case in most other places, no significant threat at the moment. police are keeping a close eye at the moment. a very lively scene from edinburgh. andrew black and jonathan blake in central london, thank you very much. at least 28 people have been killed in two bomb explosions at a busy market in baghdad. more than 50 others were wounded in the blasts which happened in the early morning, near shops in the mainly shia al—sinak district.

the so—called islamic state group has claimed responsibility for the attack. issam ikirmawi from bbc arabic has the latest. when the authorities spoke of the blast they said it was one suicide bomber and one explosive that was parked on the market. this is a market mainly for car parts of people go there to buy cheap car parts. it was great with shoppers when the blast took place. there is an impression that islamic state is in the area and with the latest advances, they are now carrying out attacks in baghdad and other places, which was that they have not been cornered. there are still operating in other parts of the country and they are still capable of launching such attacks. stay with us on bbc world news,

still to come: counting down to the new year: why the world is having to wait a little longer to celebrate 2017. for this is bbc world news today. i'm alpa patel. the latest headlines: the un security council unanimously votes to support a ceasefire in syria brokered by russia and turkey. around the world new year celebrations are underway. but in many countries, security has been tightened. we can return now to our top story. the un security council has unanimously supported a ceasefire in syria brokered by russia and turkey. well, earlier today,

some rebel groups in syria had been threatening to break the ceasefire, if government forces continued to attack areas under their control. however, the free syrian army has confirmed that russia has now stopped the bombardment. well, the umbrella organization representing many rebel groups is known as the national coalition for syrian revolution and 0pposition forces. we can speak to one of it's representatives, mohammad bassam imadi, whojoins me from rome. you think this ceasefire well holed? a good evening. actually, we hope that it will hold. we have seen previously that since this morning, hezbollah and other iranian militias have tried to take over one very important position near damascus, which is the spring of the moment. they have been repelled by rebels and they have not been able to do that. the fighting groups have issued an ultimatum to russia, being

the guarantor of the ceasefire agreement, that if they don't do what is necessary to stop the regime and hezbollah from attacking these positions, it means that this ceasefire agreement is null and void. the operation was stopped and those groups have announced that they are going to abide by the agreement that has been signed yesterday. tell us about the terms of this agreement. i understand that the terms that you signed up to, you believe are different to those of the syrian government. yes,. yes, u nfortu nately, the syrian government. yes,. yes, unfortunately, the russians presented to documents. it turned out that after they signed the document, the regime was and this was supposed to

be between two equal parties. it now seems that the two documents have been presented as an appendix to the original agreement. the main thing though is that we are going to see what will happen in one of the main topics of the agreement, the upcoming conference and we will see what will happen there. what are your terms for the ceasefire, for instance, do you want president assad to go? there are no preconditions. even in the negotiations, there are no preconditions. the main important issue that will make any peace agreement stand and be implemented as the weaving of president assad,

because all of the atrocities and the destruction and the war crimes that he has committed to your, you cannot expect somebody like him to, so cannot expect somebody like him to, so if you does not go, it will mean that there will be no peace. thank you very much for being with the programme. packages —— a package is being introduced in sweden to reduce waste for small businesses. the cost is expected to be around $100 million. sweden is changing gear. sales taxes will be cut. the plan is

being pushed by the green party, pa rt being pushed by the green party, part of the governing coalition for the past two years. translation:. you get things fixed instead of throwing them away. people getting her soap appliances repaired will be able to claim back some of the cost on their annual tax return and the greens hope it will encourage small businesses. translation: it is a good way to get more people into work. the cost of all the measures has been measured at over $100 million. the policy ‘s success or failure will depend on whether sweden pars failure will depend on whether sweden pa rs voters failure will depend on whether sweden pars voters think that is what the environmental benefits. there were seven matches in the premier league today. and the leaders chelsea have matched arsenals 14 year old record of 13

wins in a row in the same premier league season. they beat stoke 4—2 at stamford bridge but they had to work hard for the win, it was 2—2 with 25 minutes left to play, but a second from willian and a late diego costa goal made sure of the record. and if they beat tottenham next week, they will match arsenal's all time record of 14 straight wins set across two seasons. to win 13 games in april in this league is very difficult and studio is another example. we faced against a team that played very well. i'm pleased because my players showed me that they are very to adapt into different situations, a different type of game that we face. second placed liverpool remain six points adrift of chelsea

after a 1—0 win over 3rd placed manchester city at anfield. georginio wijnaldum's early header settled the match city are now 10 points off the top. the quality of manchester city, the situation, and this season, it means that we already have a lot of games and when you invest in a game like this, so much, then at the end, of course, you want to have all and thank god we got it, because the day after tomorrow, we play again. manchester united came from behind against middlesbrough to win 2—1 at old trafford. paul pogba scored in the 86th minute. it came a minute after anthony martial had equalised. grant leadbitter had given

boro a second half lead. manchester united are still sixth but level on points with spurs in fifth. the other results, andre grey scored a hat—trick for burnley as they beat struggling sunderland 4—1. leciester beat west ham 1—0. kanu scored a brilliant winner for west brom at st mary's as they beat southampton 2—1 to move up to 11th. managerless swansea went down 3—0 at home to bournemouth. but paul clement is set to become their third manager of the season in the next 48 hours. he's currently assistant to carlo ancelotti at bayern munich and was previously with the italian at chelsea, paris st—germain and real madrid. he was sacked by derby earlier this year with the club fifth in the championship, despite having lost only seven of his 33 games in charge. there was one match in the aviva rugby union premiership. exeter have jumped above bath into third in the table after a stunning second half comeback at the rec. they were 11—0 down at half time, but two tries from james short in the final 10 minutes saw them win17—11. in the pro 12 munster won 16—9 against connacht

to strengthen their position at the top of the table. leinster beat ulster to move into second place. 22—7 the final score. the new year's eve countdown to 2017 will take a little longer this year. the world's timekeepers are adding an extra second to our clocks to stay in sync with the earth's rotation. this is the 27th time a "leap second" has been added since they were introduced in 1972. 0ur science correspondent, rebecca morelle explains. big ben tolls. this new year's eve, you have a tiny bit longer to enjoy the celebrations. an extra second is being added to the world's time. and it's all because of a very slight wobble in the earth's rotation. 0ur planet speeds up and slows down as it spins. so while a single rotation equates

to one day, some days end up being a tiny fraction longer or shorter than others. and gradually the earth's time drifts out of sync with our clocks. right now, that difference has grown too large, so just before the clocks strike midnight, an extra second is being added to bring everything back into phase. it's the 27th leap second since they were introduced in the 19705, but there have been calls to abolish them. communications networks, financial markets and computer software all rely on extremely precise timekeeping, and some say that having to reprogram an extra second puts them at risk. 0thers warn that without leap seconds, over thousands of years, the earth's time and our clocks will grow more and more off—kilter — so much so that one day your watch might say it's midnight as the sun is starting to rise. rebecca morelle, bbc news. the united nations has unanimously

welcomed efforts by russia and turkey to stop fighting in syria. you're watching world news today. this is bbc news. fireworks and festivities welcome in 2017. in australia, there was a spectacular display of fireworks over the sydney harbour bridge. security is stepped up for new year celebrations in major cities around the world. in london, thousands of extra police are deployed. helena lee reports. sydney, australia, one of the first cities to welcome in 2017. the harbour bridge the focus of their spectacular display. soon after, it was hong kong's turn and this was their party. in london, they're preparing for tonight's celebrations. the met police says it is not had

any specific intelligence to point to an attack, but they've looked at what happened in berlin and nice and adjusted their plans. there'll be more than 3000 visible police officers present tonight. as in the past, there will be officers with firearms, but the key thing is to strike the balance, and none of us wants to disrupt the enjoyment all of us want to have on new year's eve. we can't allow the bad guys to spoil our way of life. in other european cities, including berlin, security has been stepped up. in her new year's eve address, the german chancellor angela merkel acknowledged the threat her country faces. translation: the biggest test, without a doubt, is islamist terrorism, which has had germany in its sights for many years. in 2016 it attacked us in wurzburg, asbach and just a few days ago in the christmas market here in berlin. other political leaders sending new year messages

included donald trump. he tweeted. around the world, millions of people are getting ready to celebrate their new year's eve, welcoming in 2017 in style. 0ur correspondent is in edinburgh. things are well underway here. the gates opened at 9pm and thousands of people have been streaming and ever since. the event tonight as a sell—out. some 75,000 people will be seeing in the 2017 when it comes.

they're partying is going to be beamed around the world to something like1 billion people. the live music has already started and spirits are quite high. public safety is paramount in public events like this and other hogmanay events are rendered the uk have had to review the policing arrangements. that is no different in edinburgh. police scotland to have said that they are taking a proportionate view. they want people to have fun but they want to make sure that they are safe at the same time. there are hundreds of security guards on duty as well so very much hoping that everything goes to plan tonight. the big build—up is towards the giant fireworks display, which is happening from the battlements of edinburgh castle at are told that we will be able to see the firework display for 30 miles around. the

weather is good, spirits are high and we are in for a pretty spectacular night. so, islamic state has claimed is responsible for a blast. 0ur correspondent reports. for a raaqys, 2016 ended in bloodshed and grief. —— iraqis. there were two bombs. 0ne bloodshed and grief. —— iraqis. there were two bombs. one in a car park. and another when a crowd had formed around the first. fathers and sisters and mothers and brothers. translation: when we heard the explosion we found many people killed and wounded, whom we rescued

and sent to hospital. why does this happen in iraq? why to the iraqi people? to the north, the battle to ta ke people? to the north, the battle to take mosul, iraq's second city, from so—called islamic state, continues. it isa so—called islamic state, continues. it is a long slog. and for many residents, the only way is out. three more months, iraq's government says, the action may take. maybe next year will be better. but many iraqis giving up. they flee their battered city with nothing but bags and suitcases. here, hull becomes the second uk city of culture tomorrow. : paterson reports. hull, city of culture 2017.

many were surprised when it was chosen. tomorrow it's year in the spotlight begins. last—minute preparations continue. it's great. 0ne preparations continue. it's great. one of its most famous residences very excited. we always thought culture was rugby and fish and chips. now it is more. it is art, it is history, it is a wonderful feeling, its new buildings, a new confidence. people are proud. hull is promising at least one cultural event every day of 2017, with £32 million being spent. what are you hoping the city of culture will achieve for hull? i want nationally and internationally people to see this is a fantastic city with great stories, great people and a lot to offer. because every city deserves its moment in the limelight. 2017 is oui’s. its moment in the limelight. 2017 is ours. it all starts tomorrow

afternoon. buildings will be used as giant screens to retail the city's history. with one... people here have recreated famous movie scenes. later in the evening there will be a giant fireworks display. that is what is going to be set off. those are bigger than those that will be used in london. for the soundtrack, every single song is by an act from hull. it is hoped that in 2017 a million people will visit hull. this has caused a problem. the city only has caused a problem. the city only has a thousand hotel rooms. so a campaign has encouraged locals into the bed—and—brea kfast trade. campaign has encouraged locals into the bed—and—breakfast trade.|j campaign has encouraged locals into the bed-and-breakfast trade. i feel like an unpaid ambassador, i can welcome people into our home and help them to understand a bit more about the city. i feel they will leave with a positive perception after they have stayed here. and

other bonus. the bbc has decided that every time the tv weather map appears in 2017, hull will be honoured. the city of culture has literally been put on the map. in today's football, premier league leaders chelsea beat stoke city 4—2 for their 13th win in a row. liverpool and manchester city had the chance to close the gap in the late kick—off. patrick geary reports. this is a night to remember old acquaintances. jurgen klopp and pep guardiola met many times on german touchlines. they are two of the premier league's so—called super managers, charged with invigorating teams and players, like adam lalla na, with invigorating teams and players, like adam lallana, picking out wijnaldum. through the first—half, the pressing came from the men in red. the only thing missing, precision. those in offered little.

manchester city took the best part ofan hourto manchester city took the best part of an hour to muster anything. that was sergio aguero's first shot of the match. it sparked a mini surge. david silva gave and filled its first truly nervous moment. but this was an anti—climax. —— anfield. this win sets up liverpool's new year's chines. —— talents. much more throughout the evening on the bbc news channel. now it is time for the news for you are. hgppy it is time for the news for you are. happy new year. hello. now reporters. hello. welcome to reporters. in this special edition of the programme, we're looking back

at some of the best reports from this year from our network of correspondents around the world. coming up: i'm a heroin addict. i've overdosed four times. we report on the epidemic of heroin and pain killers creating a generation of users and killing tens of thousands of people. the drug they call the devil has hit hardest in small town america, already ravaged by years of economic decline. we're hearing outgoing fire. the troops are trying to gauge how much resistance is in these villages. we join the kurdish forces on the frontline, as mosul awaits from deliverance from so—called islamic state. also before and after — the pioneering surgery without scalpels.

i'm in antarctica. and a year in the life of the penguin caught on camera. victoria gilljoins scientists as they track how the birds are adapting to climate change. america is in the grip of a heroin and prescription pain killer epidemic. more americans, as many as 50,000 a year, are dying from drug overdoses than from car crashes or being shot. increasingly, the victims are young, white and middle—class people. they've become hooked on the deadly drugs. over the past year, ian pannell and his cameraman have followed a number of addicts as they try to kick the habit. you may find some of the scenes in their report difficult to watch. a darkness has descended across america. 40—ish—year—old female possibly not breathing od. a plague of drug addiction and death

greater than there's ever been. 0pioid pain killers and heroin are killing more americans than ever before. oh, my god. what's wrong with her? get out of the way. we were just here for a female in her 40s who wasn't breathing. it was apparent drug overdose. how common is this? every day. every day? sometimes more than once a day. we have a dry spell where we'll go a day or two, but mostly every day. started when i was 17 years old. i was at a party, high school. i started doing the pills. when i was 13 i started using pain pills. five, six people i known died last year. all my values and morals, they went out the window. it will take everything you have, all the money you have,

everything you've worked for, everyone you love. there was nothing, almost nothing that i wouldn't do for it. i'm a heroin addict. my brother is also an addict. i know i will die if i go back home. i've overdosed four times. my own sister had to save me. i know that a lot of words are overused in our lexicon, historic and unprecedented and unique. we fall back on those words all the time in. in this case, this is an epidemic. that's precisely the right word. this crisis has spread across america, created by massive overprescription of morphine—like pain killers. it gave birth to a nation of addicts. a heroin epidemic is sweeping across america. it respects no man or woman whatever their creed, colour or class. friends, families, whole communities have been left to bury the dead and deal with the devastation addiction brings. but the drug they call the devil has hit hardest in small town america. taking hold in areas like this,

that have already been ravaged by years of economic decline. for so many people, the future looks bleak. increasingly addicts are young, white kids from the suburbs and rural areas. they've moved from pills to heroin, because it's cheaper and easier to get. but it's far more deadly and it's no exaggeration to say this generation's under threat. # i hurt myself today # to see if i still feel # dr huckerbee is the medical director here. he's an expert on pain medication and what it does. he's also a recovering addict, who became hooked after getting pain pills for a broken foot. # the needle tears a hole # the old familiar sting #

i was given the oxycodone. it was like pulling the trigger. i could not turn it loose. it tickled my brain in such profound ways that it totally blind sided me to the point that i eventually was injecting myself in the operating room and was fortunate to have partners intervened. you were injecting yourself? yes. powerless. powerless over it. i promised myself all the time, "we're not going to do this again." "we're not going to do this again today." and by the end of the day, you know, just couldn't control it. it's a real hopeless feeling. i remember feeling it one time that, you know, this is my fate in life. i'm just going to die from this.

i'm addicted to heroin. i've about died six times. all i can think about is when am i going to get some more. to feel better, but i'm never feeling better. i'm tired of this. i remember the first time i 0d'ed. my boyfriend was filming me. he brought me back. right after that he went and did a shot. it was kind of like, wow, ijust almost died. it is absolutely everywhere, in every town around here at least. there's somebody that sells drugs. it's predominantly heroin, because that's the big thing around here. in the streets and strip malls

of western pennsylvania heroin‘s taken root. the journey through addiction is a long, dark one for so many. steve has been trying to get clean for years. but shaking it without serious, long—term help is rare. i can get it, but it's right in the middle of the hood. i don't like going over there period, let alone at midnight. steve's trapped in an endless hunt for a high that will never be enough. for something his body craves, that he knows he shouldn't do. because there's no way to know what's in each packet and whether or not it will kill you. this stuff‘s gotten hold of me. i just...

i'm obsessed with it. it runs my life. heroin‘s addictive like no other drug. for many there are only two ways out. rehab or death. today the victim is just as likely to be your friend, your neighbour or even your child. miss you so much. i miss you so much. i held him first on february 11th, 1994. then i held him last on august 22, 2015. i never want a parent to ever have to do that. it's the hard est thing that you'll ever do. there's nothing else you can do that will hurt like this. oh, that should never be. this epidemic is only getting worse.

there'll be more families devastated and more lives lost. 0ne country which really got tough on drugs this year was the philippines. its hard line new president campaigned for his election by promising to kill 100,000 drug dealers and criminals in his first six months in office.